The Crazy Amount of Arsenic You're Eating And Drinking—And How To Avoid It

Say it out loud: Arsenic. Even the name leaves a toxic taste on the tongue. And despite the chemical's reputation as a way to, uh, "eliminate" one's spouse (really—arsenic poisoning was a thing among women in 19th-century England, according to this article from the New Yorker), it's actually an everyday part of our diets.

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Thing is, taking in too much of the stuff can lead to skin, lung, and bladder cancers, as well as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Which is why you should be aware of the various foods and beverages you're probably getting it from.

Arsenic is both naturally occurring (thanks, minerals from dissolved rock and soil) and man-made (hello, pesticides and insecticides). The natural stuff is called organic arsenic, and it's thought to be nontoxic and is normally just excreted by the body. The man-made stuff, however, is called inorganic arsenic, and it's a known carcinogen—that's the stuff to look out for.

Another thing about arsenic? It's got a super-long lifespan, so even though arsenic-containing pesticides are now prohibited, their residue remains in the soil for quite a while. Basically, you can't escape it, but you can limit your exposure by simply varying your diet, suggests Kathryn Cottingham, author of the Nutrition Journal study referenced below. "Try to eat a diverse, healthy diet that doesn't rely on just a few foods day in and day out. That way, even if a few foods are high in arsenic, you're lowering your overall exposure," she says. Below are some foods that you shouldn't totally cut from your diet—but shouldn't eat every day, either. (Try the 12-day liver detox for total body health!)

Dark-Meat Fish

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There's a laundry list of benefits that come with adding fish to your diet: a smaller waistline, fewer worries of developing diabetes, better brainpower (not to mention less time spent in the kitchen). But there's one tiny element (literally) that isn't so great for you—the amount of arsenic in your favorite seafood dish. A study published in Nutrition Journal examines the dietary patterns and toenail clippings (yes, toenail clippings—ingested inorganic arsenic, aka the bad kind, collects in the keratin at the base of toenails and provides insight on arsenic exposure) of 852 New Hampshire residents. Researchers found that arsenic levels were 7.4% higher in both males and females who ate at least one serving of fish each week, compared with those who ate fish only once a month. Seafood classified as dark-meat fish (like tuna steaks, mackerel, salmon, sardines, bluefish, and swordfish) were the top arsenic offenders. Organic arsenic is actually found in all types of fish. But this study found that the organic arsenic found in dark-meat fish was actually converted into inorganic arsenic as it was metabolized by the body. Researchers aren't sure why this happens with dark-meat fish and not other types of fish. But this is a tricky situation because fish contain some of the healthiest omega-3 fats. If you're limiting arsenic consumption in other parts of your diet (fewer happy hours, more quinoa instead of rice), you should keep eating fish for health reasons.

Not to put a damper on your happy hour plans or anything, but both beer and wine are arsenic-laden. The same study among New Hampshire residents found that, in women, toenail arsenic concentrations were more than 20% higher in those who drank five to six glasses of wine each week, compared with those who didn't indulge. It's all in the grapes, hops, and rice, according to researchers, as these foods very easily pick up contaminants from soil. Another study published in the Journal of Environmental Health dove a little deeper regarding the arsenic found in wine and discovered that, among 65 wines from the top four wine-producing states in the US, every single one of them had arsenic levels greater than the Environmental Protection Agency's exposure limit for drinking water (10 parts per billion). The average amount of arsenic detected in the wines was 23.3 ppb—or 13.3 ppb over the legal limit. (Then again, you're not drinking wine like it's water, so don't get too worked up.) All types of wine were tested, but red wines that were grown and produced in Washington state had some of the highest concentrations, with one cabernet sauvignon made in Walla Walla clocking in at 75.9 ppb.

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Rice and Rice Products

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A few years ago our favorite grain gave us quite a scare. Testing done by Consumer Reports found that rice—brown and white—has much higher concentrations of arsenic than other fruits, grains, and vegetables do. The organization tested the arsenic levels of 223 samples of uncooked rice and rice-containing foods—the products ranged from 3 to 222 ppb of inorganic arsenic (again, the not-so-good kind). Researchers believe rice plants have a greater tendency to soak up the naturally occurring arsenic in soil and water—ultimately soaking up the arsenic-based pesticides used in the past, as well. Even worse, brown rice may have more arsenic content than white rice does, due to less processing. Your stir-fries and pilafs aren't the only things at risk—other rice products like organic brown rice syrup, cereals, energy bars, and even those energy gels runners love so much contain more arsenic than you think.

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A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that inorganic arsenic made up 80-90% of the total arsenic content of the three rice syrups researchers tested. And because cereals, energy bars, and energy gels are often sweetened with brown rice syrup, their arsenic levels were also pretty high (of the 12 energy bars tested, 11 had inorganic arsenic concentrations of more than 50% of the total arsenic contents).

Let us formally apologize for foodies everywhere—your beloved brussels and other cruciferous plants have statistically significant amounts of arsenic, according to the New Hampshire study. Researchers found that those who ate brussels sprouts at least once a week had toenail arsenic levels that were 10% higher than their non-brussels-eating counterparts. The high concentrations of sulfur in cruciferous vegetables may be to blame, according to researchers, as arsenic more easily binds to sulfur-containing compounds. So although brussels sprouts (and kale, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) are among the healthiest vegetables you can eat (not to mention totally delicious), if you're a sprout-a-day eater, it may be wise to pare that down just a tad to get the health benefits of your favorite veggies without the extra dash of arsenic.

OK, so at this point you're wondering what the heck you can eat and not worry about, right? Here's a word of advice from David Katz, director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center: "My advice is not to ignore this, but to focus on wholesome foods in sensible combinations," he says. "We know, in general, the net effects of foods on health, and those effects are a result of both the good and the bad. So, for instance, eating fish is consistently good, despite the contaminants in fish. This indicates the good outweighs the bad. Unfortunately, we have damaged our planet, so completely 'pure' food is no longer an option down here. What we should focus on is the overall health effects."

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